001All right. Good evening. It is 5:00 October 20th, 2025. I will call the meeting to order for the school district 482. Um, at this time, I'd like you to please all rise and join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Little Falls Community Schools works together for each learner to achieve academic and personal growth in a collaborative, safe, and engaging envir. Yes, >> we have some public comments. Wonderful. Okay. Um so while we get this ready, I will read the um policy in regards to public comments. Little Falls Community Schools welcomes you to the meeting of the Little Falls Board of Education. This portion
002of the agenda will be limited to a total of not more than 30 minutes. Individual speakers are asked to limit their comments to not more than three minutes. The board asks that all comments be in keeping with contribute to an atmosphere of ci civil, courteous, thoughtful, and respectful discourse. So, um, Kelly, the timer if it gets long and kind of give you the high side. So, um, looks like, uh, we have Sarah. You please, you want to come up here to the front table and speak where the microphone is. Good morning or good evening members of the v board. I would like to bring to your attention a serious concern regarding the implementation of a new procedure enacted by district 42 as of September 1st, 2025. This procedure appears to limit the inclusion of students
003with disabilities in extracurricular activities. It is important to note that many parents of special education students are not fully informed of their children's legal right to access extracurricular programs. This lack of communication paired with the new procedural barrier bar barriers has resulted in very limited participation of special education students in district activities. In my own family's case, my child has successfully participated in an extracurricular activity for four consecutive years with accommodations and has demonstrated consistent success. However, under the new procedure, I was informed that my child would no longer be permitted to participate despite the history of positive inclusion. This raises several critical questions. Number one, why is successful inclusion being reversed rather than supported? Number two, could this action be in response to our family exercising our legal right to revoke permission for the
004school district to bill our child's medical insurance? Number three, is this procedure disproportionately impacting students with disabilities and potentially students of color as a matter of inequity rather than policy? Additionally, I must address a concerning pattern of repeated requests from district employees for access to my child's medical information and communication with medical providers. Despite clearly declining these requests on multiple occasions, they continue to be brought forward in all meetings, which creates an environment that feels coercive rather than collaborative. In one such meeting, a district administrator responded to my refusal in a manner that was dismissive and inappropriate. This is not conducive to a respectful or trauma-informed partnership between families and the district. I respectfully request that the board one review the new extracurricular inclusion procedure to ensure it aligns with IDEA section 504 and state
005non-discrimination requirements. Number two, ensure clear communication to all parents regarding their rights, including the right to revoke insurance billing authorization and the right of their child to participate in extracurricular activities with the appropriate accommodations. And number three, establish safeguards to prevent retaliation or repeated coercive requests for medical access when a parent has already denied that consent. This issue is not solely about one child. It is about ensuring that policies are implemented equitably, transparently, and in full alignment with both legal and ethical obligations. I urge the board to take corrective action so that inclusion is not merely stated as a value, but also practiced consistently across all district activities. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you. >> Okay, next we have the oath of office for our student school board members. So, we have our
006um three new student school board members. We have uh John Allen, we have Mattie Holtz, and Megan Felbomb. So, um I believe each of you have the oath in front of you. All right. So, why don't we all stand? Um and if I can have you raise your right hand and repeat repeat after me if you you're already good, Dan. So, I state your name. I >> do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the duty. No, you guys are supposed to be reading this, not me. >> Read with him. >> Do solemnly swear, let's read together, that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of student school board member for Little Falls Community Schools and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the rights and interests of the
007students I represent. I will support the Constitution of the United States and the state of Minnesota. I will work with dedication and integrity to support the goals and values of our school community and uphold the principles of fairness and respect for students in the community. >> Congratulations each and every one of you. We are welcome. We are proud to have you as members of the school board education. Thank you. You want to get a picture? >> Yeah, Mr. Chair, if I could, Jeff, because John has to leave early for the choir concert. If you would like to steal a picture, maybe you did already. >> You did. Okay, never mind. Thanks. >> Okay, thank you. All right. Now, next on our agenda is the approval of the agenda. So, I look for a motion to
008approve the agenda. >> So, moved. >> A motion by Dan. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mark. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. The consent consent agenda should be in your packet or I guess on your computer. Um I am looking for a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> So move. >> I'll second. >> Okay. So I have a motion by Mark, a second by Kelsey. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I oppose. Same sign. Motion carries. Resolutions. This you Kelsey. >> Okay. And go ahead. >> I am introducing the following resolution. Whereas the following have generously offered to donate to Little Falls Community Schools. Therefore, be it resolved by the
009Little Falls Community Schools Board of Education to gratefully accept the gifts. Piers Area Commercial Club, Piers Area Freedom Music Fest, donation of $500 to Little Falls Community Schools High School FFA program. Teresa Welters, donation of $250 to the Little Falls Community Schools Project Band-Aid to repair school band instruments. Ecroth Music donation of $1,000 to Lil Falls Community Schools High School Band for Copper Street Bass Services, bass services. Little Falls Elementary PTA donation of $20,000 to the Little Falls Community Schools Lindberg Playground Project. City of Little Falls donation of $42,000 to Little Falls Community Services Program. Brothers Exteriors, donation of services valued at $7,500 to tear out the existing playground at Lindberg. Ronald Mueller, donation of $1,000 to the Randall Area Scholarship Fund in memory of Janelle Mueller, Frederick Mueller, Jundelle Mueller, Eleanor Mueller, Sharon Larson,
010and her husband Lloyd Larson. Anonymous donation of $4,000 to the Little Falls Community Schools Industrial Tech Department. Joyce and Andrew Mundal donation of $50 to Little Falls Community Schools Science Department in memory of Mike Valentine. School Outfitters donation of $6,98528 for the purchase of furniture for Little Falls Community Schools Lincoln Library. um which was a purchase initiated by the Little Falls Elementary PTA. Little Falls Workers Association donation of $76268 cents to Flyerfest. Little Falls Youth Baseball donation of trees valued at $1,500 to Little Falls Community Schools Bell Prairie campus. Jimmy and Megan Johnson, donation of trees valued at $1,500 to the Little Falls Community Schools. Stephanie Nielsen, donation of $250 to the Little Falls Community Schools Robotics Program. Roadrunner Mopped Mppo Clubed. Moped. Oh, yeah. Moped Club. Thank you. Donation of $200 to the Little
011Falls Community School Scholarship Fund. Fab Flyers Athletic Boosters. donation of $300 to the Little Falls Community Schools Varsity Club. Mary Hammer and Kelly Fulford, donation of $500 to the Little Falls Community Schools Care Closet. Hanakin Insurance Agency, donation of $250 to Flyerfest, Little Falls Firefest. Amanda Standage, donation of an XCarve N or CNC machine to the Little Falls Community Schools Industrial Technology Department. I will second your motion. >> Okay. So, she left us on a night where it was like super long. All right. Roll call. So, Dan, >> yes. >> Doug, >> yes. >> Julie, yes. >> Mark, and myself. Yes. >> Thank you, Kelsey. >> Next, we have our flyer pride cards. U Mark, I'll have you start off, please. >> All right. The first one is through the third grade team. All the
012teachers, thank you for all you're helping in my transition from second grade at Dr. Knight to third grade at Lincoln or Lindberg, sorry. You have all been weling, so welcoming and encouraging. I appreciate all your support. I'm looking forward to a great year. Glenda Davis, Annette Wetenstein, Wetstein, administrative assistant. Amy goes above and beyond every day. She works hard to build relationships with students and staff. She is always ready to help whenever needed. I cannot do my job without her. Christine Holiday. Christine Holidayiday. Amanda Miller uh per Amanda has been a great support and uh stepped into her role with a great deal of energy and uh helps me out whenever I need to take a lunch break or attend a CST training. Laura Martinsson, here's one for Glenda Davis, teacher. Thank you for your
013hard work this summer preparing for the building transition. I appreciate your effort and positive attitude you bring to the your positive attitude you bring to everything you do. Uh Greg Johnson and Emily Missur special education coordinator. I would like to recognize and thank Emily for her outstanding support and leadership. She constantly goes above and beyond to ensure students and staff receive support they need. I truly appre appreciate her dedication, expertise, and positive impact she has made at Lindberg Elementary. Larry Edertton. >> All right, I have Mon'nique Wald Claus Parah. Mon'nique has done a fantastic job jumping into a schedule change and being a great support with new students. Lauren Martinson, Cali Dovas, kindergarten teacher. As a first grade teacher, I am so thankful for the routines and procedures you put in place last year in
014kindergarten as it has made for a very smooth transition into first grade for me and my students. Sally hair rusty go principal. It's hard to put into words the positive impact Rusty has had at the middle school. The change can be seen in our clean lunchroom, our quiet hallways, and our students getting the firm but fair support they need. Our staff has been energized by you, Rusty. So, so grateful. Rachel Kota Monique Wald Claus Perah. I'd like to recognize Monique for her willingness to approach each day with curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a positive attitude. Her readiness to take on new challenges and support students in any way needed has made a notable impact on our early childhood team. Janet Toma Nicole Steel, teacher. What a great addition to Lincoln. Thank you for sharing
015your experience with the pilot curriculum and piloting since you have taught it the past four years. Your time and expertise is so helpful. Sally hair and Rebecca Jones, school readiness teacher. Rebecca has come into a new building and been a great addition. She's always a smiling face to see in the hall and at lunch. Lauren Martinson, Cheryl Moore, kindergarten teacher. As a first grade teacher, I'm so thankful for the routines and procedures you put in place last year in kindergarten as it has made for a very smooth transition into first grade for me and my students. Sally hire Rebecca Fritz Fritzeller. These names are hard sometimes. Paraprofessional. Becca has shown incredible love and compassion for her students. Her patience, eagerness to learn, and wonderful sense of humor brightens the classroom each day. The joy and
016trust she receives in return from her students are a true reflection of the positive relationships she builds. We are very lucky to have her. Isaac Toma. Rebecca Jones, preschool teacher. I'd like to recognize Rebecca Jones, a preschool teacher who has made a seamless transition to a new building and is absolutely thriving. She brings creativity, joy, and a sense of fun to everything she does, making learning and exciting adventure for her students. We are so grateful to have her in our district. Janna Toma, uh Sarah Underh Hill, homecoming co-advisor. I want to thank Sarah Underh Hill for her amazing work on homecoming this year. She is a delight to work with and her infectious positive attitude, creative ideas, and detailed work ethic made this year's homecoming go smoothly. We are so lucky to have her as
017a teacher in our district and I am grateful to have her as a colleague. Camila Larson. >> Britney Benson, ECSC parah. Britney has been a master juggler this year. She handles anything thrown at her with grace and patience. Lauren Martinson, Emily Nybower, kindergarten teacher. As a first grade teacher, I'm so thankful for the routines and procedures put in place in kindergarten last year as it has made for a very smooth transition into first grade for me and the students. Sally hire Chris Dovvis, principal, thank you for implementing routines and procedures that are school and classroomwide as the consistency has been helpful to students and teachers as it creates consistent expectations for everyone. Keep leading well. When leaders lead well, we can do what we are called to do and that is teach. Sally hire McKenna
018Annez, middle school teacher. Thank you for being the educator you are. You are not only teaching our students about classroom lessons, but you are helping them become independent and teaching them to be advocates for themselves. Thank you, Melissa Preszinski. Michelle Schultz, special education teacher. I want to thank you for your flexibility and professionalism you have shown with change of your teaching assignment. The shift came right before the school year started, yet you have handled it with positivity. Larry Edertton have Jana Nagel, an industrial tech teacher. Jana has been very helpful with implementing school links at the CEC. She's quick to answer a question or swing down to work with our staff. Thank you for all you do. Christy Holidayiday. Tresa Gishell, early childhood sped teacher. Tresa is an exceptional early child teacher. She consistently goes
019above and beyond to communicate with families, ensuring they feel informed and supported every step of the way. Her ability to see and nurture each child's strengths and needs is truly remarkable. Janitoma, early learning coordinator. Pton Carl, paraprofessional. From the first days of the school year, Pton has stepped up and embodied the true definition of Flyer pride. His unique ability to always have a smile on his face brings out the best in his students and those around him. Payton has helped set the tone for a great school year. Isaac Toma. Brenda Keane, kindergarten teacher. As a first grade teacher, I'm so thankful for the routines and procedures you put in place last year in kindergarten as it has made for a very smooth transition into my first grade for me and my students. Sally Hire and
020Miranda Nelson, school readiness teacher. Miranda has been a great partner this year, taking everything in stride and being someone to laugh and lean on. Lauren Martinson. All right, so thank you everyone for submitting those. All right. Next. I know we just swore you in, but you guys have a presentation. We do. Wonderful. All right. I'll let you take it away. >> We We thought tonight would be best spent with introductions, so no updates regarding what's going on at school. >> We'll start with Megan. >> I'm Megan Fowl. I am currently a junior at the high school. Um, I'm very involved in FFA and also participate in track. Outside of school, I am very active in the Morrison County 4 program. Through my years in FFA and 4, I have served on many officer positions, including
021the FFA vice president, 4 treasurer, secretary, and also president this year. I was also the reporter of the Morrison County 4 federation. More recently, I have taken on the role of being the Minnesota State Beef Ambassador, where I advocate for the beef cattle industry and agriculture as a whole throughout Minnesota. I'm honored to be given this opportunity and excited to be a voice for our student body. And then these are just some pictures. So that was our egg sales team last year for FFA. Um the middle picture is when I was being a beef well my one role as beef ambassador. Um interacting with the younger generation which is very um special to me because I believe it's very important and also track. And then besides school activities and the homework, I enjoy showing my
022livestock and farming with my family. These are just some pictures of what I do outside of school. >> Thanks, Megan. >> Um, I'm Maddie Holtz. Just like Megan, I'm a junior. Um, I'm not as involved as her John, but uh, I'm really active in FFA and 4. Uh within FFA, I'm also on the egg sales team with Megan. Uh we competed in the region last year and got first place and then at state we got fourth. We're really excited and our goal this year is to make nationals. Um within 4, I've served as the secretary for many years and now I have gotten the opportunity to be vice president with Megan for our 4 cup. Um I also raise and raise and show pig, sheep, and cattle uh with the help of my parents and
023my uncle. Um, every day in and outside of school, I love to learn something new and I'm really grateful for this opportunity to be a student rep and see what I can learn. Um, so the picture on the far left is me at the county fair. Uh, in the middle is our team. My mom made some posters encouraging us for state. And then the picture on the far right is us standing behind the stage before we knew what place we got. And then my animals, of course. Uh my dad helps me a lot with my pigs. So me and my dad farming on the far left. Uh the one with my cow on the bottom is actually in Denver, Colorado. Megan and I go out every January. And then the one up top is my
024first ever calf I got. And then down below is my first lamb I've ever had. They tried to put me to work at the state fair this year. Disappeared quickly. >> John, welcome. >> My name is John Olen. I'm a senior at the high school and I am involved in basketball, baseball, band, and choir. I'm the choir president this year. And then I'm also in jazz band and jubilers. And I'm involved in spring musical. And then I've also been in the All State Choir the last two years, which is a great opportunity to learn more about other schools and other people from different schools. Um, I've also been involved in the Little Falls Theater Company the last few years, which my family part takes in, and that's been a good opportunity to get to know
025other people as well. And I being involved in these activities has allowed me to get to know different groups of people and learn how other students, you know, go about life. and I hope they'll let me give everyone a voice and I want to thank you guys for this opportunity. Uh that's a picture of me playing baseball in Iowa. Baseball is my favorite sport. And then picture on the right is from our band concert last year. And then the bottom picture is those are five of our seniors this year on the basketball team. >> That's it. >> Thank you all of you. >> Thank you. >> Forward to the reports. >> Okay. Next we have our secondary school planning um grades 7 through 12. So I am assuming our representatives from Woods that will be
026here. >> Yeah. If I could start, Mr. Chair, I'd like to just say first of all, welcome to Lindseay Crime and Steve or Zidlo. We've uh gotten to know these two pretty well the last month or so as we've talked about the possibilities that exist um with enhancing our strategic plan and looking at a 7 through 12 secondary school. But I just wanted to read real quickly under strategic plan priority area one the three goal areas and goal number one is develop and implement a comprehensive plan to ensure financial stability. Goal two is to develop and implement a comprehensive facilities plan that addresses the district's needs for the next 5 to 10 years while ensuring safe, secure, and future ready ready facilities. And then finally, goal three, enhance safety and security for all students and
027staff across school settings. And I really feel the work that we've been doing the past month or so is really helping us meet those goals. So, we'll turn it over to these two. Thank you for the warm welcome, Superintendent Johnson. >> Um, good to be here again with you all. Um, I am Lindsay Kren from Woods. I am a K12 planning specialist, I guess, is what you could call me. Um, really dedicated my career to helping school districts with their projects. So, it's really a pleasure to be here and be working with you all. >> And I'm Steve Brazil. I'm a former Brainer public school superintendent. Uh was high school principal before that. Have a passion for K12 education. I must say uh uh all of uh good wishes to you going forward u through
028all of the tough uh discussions and decisions that you'll have to take forward and have already begun to do so. uh but but uh just by means of introduction um I am new to the role at WIDSAT and just joining the K12 services team but I've had wonderful opportunity in a short couple of months to already be involved with the conversations taking place with district leadership also had the benefit of of having u members of your school district professional staff come up through and tour Brainer school facilities and then most recently sitting and listening and input sessions with middle school and high school professionals talking about some of their hopes and dreams uh for what may be. And there's been a strong uh realization and a strong commitment uh to caring and and taking caring
029for and taking care of all of the wonderful assets and the traditions and the history that you have in Little Falls. Uh so just by means of introduction, you got some very wonderful people who've been part of uh input sessions and listening and process discussions that they know aren't finished yet. They know are headed in directions that they can't necessarily control but are very thankful to have been a part of. So good on all of you. >> Great. Few other members um on our team's probably encountered them in some way, shape or form and you'll continue to see them. Katie Hildenbranch. She's also a K12 planning expert. And then Brady Bustler from our team. He's a marketing and communication specialist. So he's the the brains behind all of the marketing videos you not only see
030from Witza, but also produced for our clients. And so Brady has a series of very successful referendum videos um just to use for educational purposes to really get the message out. So Brady will definitely be engaged a little bit further on this process much more. So tonight we're here to update you on the referendum process to date. We've put in a lot of effort, a lot of leg work, a lot of meeting hours. Um and so we just wanted to give you a really good recap on what we've done um with the school district thus far. Um in summary, we've had our building inspection and facility assessment team through the high school building. They did a complete facility assessment report um which we'll um highlight for you to this evening. We also have conducted several
031school tours. So really focusing on relevant um similar type projects that could be really relatable to some of the ideas that have been um generated here with the staff. We have conducted two series of user group meetings both at the high school and the middle school. First was really just a listening session. We wanted to really meet with the educators and hear them talk about their current spaces and how they could envision their space in the future. And then user groups. So we really came back with ideas on paper and got their reaction to those ideas. So that will come through then in our building concept plans which we have for you um this evening. So first step in our process is really understanding the current facility that you have from a brickandmortar perspective. So
032really just understanding the building, how it functions, exterior envelope, the site, the mechanical systems, the electrical systems, um interior atmosphere. That's what we really look at when we look at the facility assessment. So we have a series of professionals that come tour the facility. It's a full inspection day. Um we kind of go top to bottom. We're on the roof. We're in all the rooms and nooks and crannies of the building. We take a look at exterior ADA access, uh water drainage on site. We take a look at the building envelope. So, are you able to keep the elements of the building out? You know, roof conditions, window conditions, so on and so forth. We take a look at the interior environment. Do you have uh lighting controls? Do you have the right uh indoor
033air quality as well from a mechanical perspective? Um, what we've learned is that a lot of the building has been very wellmaintained over the years. However, there's areas of the building, particularly mechanically and electrically, that are original still. And so our our project really focuses or the facility assessment really focuses on those areas. You can see highlighted in yellow those areas of of primary focus mechanically is um understanding those original systems and then proposing some replacement options um to better outfit those buildings. So the facility assessment this is the the list that was highle summary generated from the report. So again the replacement of those existing mechanical systems. So this is the HVAC and the plumbing systems. Replacement of the boiling boiler system and pneumatic controls. So there's there has been a lot of updates
034to the building over time but there are still some areas of the building again that are original. Electric controls and efficiency fixtures. So, a lot of the building also has been updated to LED lighting, but there's still portions of that building that are kind of behind times. So, looking to update those and bring those up to today's standards. Replacement of original exterior windows. So, the building was built in the 70s. So, we're increasing that 50 to 55 year old window. Um, definitely time to take a look at those windows and entrances. Um, we also have one existing um roof that is area F of your building. So that's the auditorium music area of the building. So looking to replace that roof. Science lab case work replacement. So there's some still existing lab case work there
035that has been remained throughout the rest of the interior remodel project. So looking to update that. And then also tuck pointing which is just making sure the brick and mortar at the building are are really stout and intact there from an exterior envelope perspective. I'm a visual learner, so I put together a map for you so you can kind of see where that scope of work that I just summarized would take place. Um, the big takeaway here is the area in green. Um, those are areas that are primary mechanical focuses. So, that's just mechanical areas that would need to be updated. A lot of that on the first level has been updated from an interior perspective. New paint, new lighting, um, new carpet, the mechanical systems are original. So really looking to get those updated.
036The area in blue is area of heavy remodel which we'll get into a little bit further when we look at the concept plans. But the upper level which is on the right hand side of that page is a very heavy remodel that we're proposing since the mechanical systems will all need to be replaced through an update process that would entail um coming behind architecturally and making sure that that building gets a refresh as well from uh after that mechanical process. And then we have kind of this orange area throughout the building. These are areas of um medium areas, scope of work that would just be kind of tweaks here and there to accommodate areas bringing the seventh and eighth graders into the building. Areas such as the CTE, the art, um the fax lab, those
037areas will all need to be assessed just to make sure that we've got the room to bring those seventh and eighth graders in. And then again, we've got the area F roof, which is kind of that diagonal hatch line. That's the roof replacement of that auditorium building. and then the supporting spaces around that. So, I think it lays out graphically the areas that have been updated throughout the years and then the areas that we're looking to help support through a building project. After we established the brick and mortar, it was time to set out on school tours and these kind of peppered in between our user groups. So, we really understood what the staff is experiencing in their current buildings. And then through some of our recent experience, we were able to help kind of
038guide some opportunities for tours for visual aids to really see how these ideas are put into play at different schools around the area. So our first stop was Crosby Iron's secondary building. This was a Woodsth project partnered with the Contegrity Group. Um why we wanted to look at this, this was a multi-phase project conducted over several years, actually still ongoing. um interior remodels. So, no additional square footage was added to this building, which is definitely a trend we're seeing across the state of Minnesota right now. And this is an integrated model. So, fifth grade through 12th grade is in this facility. Um another stop we had was Brainard High School in particular a building. This is their two-level core academic building. So, math, science, social studies, and English is what's housed in this building. no
039opportunity for growth, only interior renovation. And it was 1970s original mechanical system. So really apples to apples when we compare your core education building to this core education building. I almost think it was the same architect. We've got the same little skinny blockers in both buildings. So kind of coincidentally, um the before image on the left hand side of the page um indicates these tiny little narrow corridors that were really a supervision nightmare. You had to have a lot of staff out there in the corridors during circulation times. There was a lot of blind corners. Um really a nightmare from a circulation perspective. There was no real clear sight lines throughout the whole building. On the right, the after image is completely reconfiguring those classroom spaces, widening the corridors, allowing for some learning common spaces.
040You can even see English classrooms are all kind back to back around the centralized learning commons. And then we have an English specialed classroom right there. So for breakout opportunities, you're right there within your educational comments area. So you don't have to travel far for those particular services. Here's a picture. This was the before on the right. So you can see those narrow little corridors. Backpacks were being used in the locker room. So they're all over a circulation night here. And then the image on the left is from our tour. So opening up those corridors. You can even see a centralized uh English library here. So they actually have a checkout kiosk right outside of their English classrooms. So you don't even have to go down to the media center to check out your books.
041It's actually right there within those English suites. Here's another view of that. So our six English classrooms back to back within the supporting special ed space at the end of that learning commons. And lastly, Rockidge High School. So the reasons we saw this building was an integrated 7th through 12th grade concept. So this area these areas of the building are not separated at all. So the students uh co-mingle in all of their classroom corridor spaces, break out into the same departmental areas of the building versus grade level areas of the building. Um some main takeaways were natural daylight and then the introduction of learning common spaces. Buildings that were built in the 1970s frankly did not accommodate for learning commons or specialed services. So it's really nice to see a brand new building um being
042able to really envision how we would approach those spaces. So, circling back to user group meetings, these are certainly ongoing. We've um again spent two days each in the middle school and the high school, making sure that we can touch base with every department that's in the buildings, gathering feedback. Um here are some of my notes in red, just collecting as much notes as we possibly can, pulling up floor plans and pictures on the screen as we go through these meetings. Um we review the existing floor plan and then also proposed concept plans. some of the staff were able to engage in the tours um throughout other buildings and then we also got the opportunity to tour their spaces so we became really familiar with what they had. Um we had lots of conversations regarding
043the integration of seventh and eighth grade into the high school. I think for me my biggest takeaway was the excitement of the middle school. I almost went in thinking that it would be the opposite that people would be concerned. Um, and it just was really inspiring to hear the excitement and the ideas of integration and expanding programs for those seventh and eighth graders. So, that was a really fun experience for me personally. Um, we talked about departmental organization and collaboration, bringing all the math teachers together, bringing all the science teachers together and the benefits that could be generated in such a configuration. And then also the media center is kind of this tucked away behemoth of a space. And so is there an opportunity to bring those resources closer to the school or closer to
044the school students like I showed you in the in the Brainer High School model. So the culmination of all of those efforts is the development of conceptual building plans. So these are the plans we're currently using with our user groups. Um this is definitely a work in progress, but I'll kind of walk you through the concept of this plan. So the area that we're looking at here is the two-level educational building which is stacked on top of one another. on the right hand side that's the upper level left-hand side is the lower level. So we are kind of phasing into a culinary arts program model versus a traditional fax lab. So introduc introduction of the commercial style kitchen spaces that can also accommodate the fax type of learning. So support spaces for that culinary arts
045lab and then also a fax classroom. So kind of that clean and dirty aspect of those classroom spaces. in the blue. Um you can see on the upper right hand area of the lower level, we're developing a special education suite. So we're bringing the special ed level two and level three classes to a centralized location to start sharing and pairing those resources. We've incorporated the pay lab and then also the DCD program. So again, development of the departmental approach here. The center of the building is still student support services. We've heard from this group that the location is really ideal. We're still kind of sorting out those details. Um Mark and I just had a lovely meeting with that group this morning. We thought it would be best to pull not only the middle school
046teachers together or the staff together, but the high school and have a collaborative meeting. So, we're hosting a few more of those throughout the week. Um particularly like the music department, for example, we'll we'll want to bring those two different groups together because they'll experience a lot of integration and we're trying to sort through that. The CEC area of this plan stays relatively untouched, although the introduction of a unisex restroom in that space. So really don't we don't have to leave that area if not needed. The science department as we know today is being modified to accommodate the seventh and eighth grade classrooms within this area. So really um I think they were the first group that said, "Hey, we really want a departmental approach." And we think there's a lot of benefits to having
047all of those science rooms stay together in this area of the building. on the upper level. This is a complete reconfiguration of the upper level which was made possible by recapturing the media center space and also recapturing some mechanical room space. By relocating those mechanical systems to the roof of the building, we opened up a lot of room on the on the second level. As we come up either of the main stairwells, the first thing that will greet you is a really wide open media center concept. So, it will be the focal point and the learning point of this upper level of the building. Flanking that area are our support classrooms or I should say support spaces like special education. Um we have a series of uh English classrooms shown on either side of that
048media center. So that direct access to those resources. If we look at the north quadrant of the plan, this is shown in a departmental approach. So all of the math classrooms are circulating a learning commons and then special ed breakout spaces for that level one um breakout need. And then the southern portion of that upper level is um departmental approach to social studies. Um again uh centered around a learning comments, special ed and then breakable room support spaces. We are introducing a universal restroom concept. So this is a one toilet room approach. You see it in multiple buildings um around our region. People are starting to gravitate towards this. It's a um just a really efficient way to manage and supervise those spaces where typically it's you can't really go into those more large format
049toilets rooms. So these are those more individual toilet rooms um within the shared handwashing and support spaces for that area. Um this is the main focus of the of the project but there is some other areas again as I had mentioned the incorporation of the seventh and eighth graders. So possibly reconfiguring the teched to bring seventh and eighth grade teched into that area which is very well established in the high school. Um the two art classrooms really support for the third art classroom to be in this area and then also bringing our digital lab and the TV production studio to this level much more closely located to the auditorium and gym spaces. So, for event management purposes, um much more centrally located for those um that need to access that space. And then lastly, there's
050just some areas around this common area that would need to be reconfigured just to take advantage of some um areas of opportunity that aren't really utilized right now. So, again, we're kind of working through those groups still as a work in progress. But, um overall, this is where we're we're feeling pretty good with the user group meetings. a few more to get through, but um we think very shortly we'll have a a fully developed concept plan that's ready for um your review and approval moving forward. >> Lindsay, can I ask a question? >> Absolutely. We have this week the board has received uh several emails from activity groups um concerned about gym space. Can you talk a little bit about how we would utilize the space that's there? Yeah, absolutely. So, we've done a lot
051of digging into the gym space and we feel as though um bringing the seventh and eighth graders in, we've got five areas to support the gym space. So, in our current gym, we can divide that space into two unique areas. We also have our weight room. We have our wrestling/multi-purpose room. And then we have the north mezzanine. And though I'm not ideal, it certainly will work from a programmatic standpoint. but to a limited like in the north mezzanine that's a this that's just a long narrow concrete >> area behind the stands so to speak >> correct >> okay okay Lindsay the second level education wing how many classrooms are added to this proposal >> so currently we have enough classroom spaces for each teacher so that there's not a flexible model in place like Brock
052has a flexible model. You don't own your classroom. So currently we have a space for each teacher 7th through 12th grade in those core classes and then we have flexible classrooms built in. So areas to grow if enrollment grows up. We don't have to come back and say oh whoops we have to remodel because we have it more class more students which is a great problem to have. So, I think we've got four flexible classrooms and 28 29 traditional classrooms if I recall my numbers correctly. >> Any other questions? >> Like it. >> Mhm. I would say overall the plan's been very wellreceived. Um there is some conversation still deeper about 7th and eighth grade integration into um the 9th through 12th graders. And the beauty behind this plan is really the labels could be
053erased because none of those classrooms on the upper level are proprietary to any um core course. um that you could really envision like, oh, maybe the the left side could be seventh and eighth and then the right side could be the others or north to south. Um you could have a really blended departmental approach or you could have a more segmented seventh to eighth grade approach, too. >> Lots of flexibility. >> What are your thoughts? >> I like it. I feel like we're using the space above. >> Mhm. What I mean, what's your opinion about seventh and eighth graders going up there? Do you see it as an issue with older kids or >> I don't see it as any issue. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> With the the bathrooms, they would they would
054keep like the regular bathrooms and then add the single ones. Is that what it would be? >> So, we'd be taking away your existing bathrooms and completely rebuilding them. And so, it would be a series of individual rooms that you would enter into. We call them toilet rooms. And then once you exit that space, you have a centralized wash station. So hand washing, drinking fountains, paper towel. Um, really great from an observation perspective. >> So think of it like how they explain it to us is there's a door right there. You might have five doors along that wall. Each would have its own toilet in there. So then I can stand back here and the handwashing might be right here. And then I can make sure, you know, you're in there, it's closed, but you
055one person can supervise as opposed to the current bathrooms you go in and you can have how many people in there and nobody knows what's going on. >> But you could go in and use the bathroom and then I could go into the same bathroom when you're done and use that same bathroom. >> So don't need a male female type deal. >> Okay. You know, there's a lot of obviously a lot of work that needs to to continue. And I I agree, Lindsay. I think this plan, this proposal has been wellreceived. It's well thought out. There's nothing flashy, but it does capitalize on the space that we have. And I I think when you look at that upstairs wing when you come upstairs, although we've added a significant number of classrooms, it does not feel
056like we've compressed the space and loss flexibility to have those open spaces where we can create a media center learning commons approach. I think will be wellreceived and a good use of that space. >> Uh to note, um the classroom spaces have not decreased at all. they're they're either the same size they are now or they've just slightly increased in size. So that was a big goal of ours too is makeing that um those classrooms are not shrinking in size to achieve this plan. So that was a a good success of this plan. >> When it comes to the bathrooms in this concept, are we losing bathroom capabilities compared to what we currently have? >> No. So, um the the ADA accessibility code will definitely restrict us or guide us in making sure that we've
057got the the correct amount of toilet fixtures. Um making sure that we both have accessibility um built in and then ambulatory access as well. Um and then also incorporation of the staff restrooms that would be kind of outside of this U-shape um like student area. So, the staff really wanted to make sure that they had their own separate space. Lindsay, you can reference. There's a code that establishes how many restroom facilities or toilets you have to have in the building. >> Yeah. And we'll take a look at the building as a whole to establish that toilet fixture count. >> Other questions? >> Mr. Chair, one more comment just just out of the the the professionalism and for the professionalism of uh and the care and commitment of the staff that have been uh involved in
058the tours and the input sessions. I think everyone is looking uh to try and make the the most constructive healthy decisions for community that can be made. >> And I'm assuming I mean I know you referenced it earlier that currently in its state we're talking about original stuff. So original mechanical, original HVAC stuff that any improvements we are going to do is going to what's it going to give us longevity? Is it going to give us 30 years? Is it going to give us 40 years? I mean, what's the >> Yeah, with great maintenance. I mean, your existing system is over 50 years old and it's had amazing maintenance. It's just past its useful life at this point. It's hard to find parts for that integrated equipment. And so, we would hope that a building
059project like this would get you at least 30 years down the road, if not further, with great maintenance. Okay, thank you. >> So, our next steps are to finish out our user group meetings, put a more refined concept plan together, and then we'll probably come back to a work session and start to talk budget strategies and what this cost would be associated with. Um, and then did the different funding strategies would be our next steps. >> Throw this out at you board members. We'll have to check calendars maybe after the meeting, but we're looking at potentially a work session on November 5th. It's a Wednesday. That would give us time to be able to dig into these plans a little bit more. Um the following week, November 10th, a community meeting. That's the same night
060as a board meeting. We thought we'd have an opportunity for the community to see this, ask questions, and then follow it up with a regular board meeting. capitalize on your time here. >> And then working backwards, we would need to be able to pull this off. We would need board approval of a review and comment on December 8th, your December board meeting. >> Want to thank these folks for their time. >> Thanks for having us. >> Thank you very much. >> Mr. Chair too. I do know that um our city administrator from Little Falls, Alex Smith, is here as well as a I see Mr. Glaze from the city council as well. Not sure not to put you on the spot, Alex, but any comments or questions. >> You want me to approach her? >>
061Yeah, come on up. >> Sure. >> But leave Mr. Glaze back there. >> He gets into trouble. >> He gets to uh go to our own council meeting next. So, I all of this seems like it's been really well thought over and it's nice to see um on our perspective with the city, we have had those discussions of should this the school district vacate that middle school. We do understand that our own facilities are struggling right now. Our police department is in a building that is not doing well. Uh and the longevity for that building is not sustainable. City Hall itself is also a very old building. It's been numerous things in the past and it's encroaching on the end of its life. So, should the school district vacate the middle school, there is currently
062interest in looking into utilizing half of that space. It would be a great location and instead of having to build a brand new building, it would give us the opportunity to save dollars in remodeling. We did have the pleasure to tour it and we see that there's a lot of the bones of the building are really set. There's great security structures. There's classrooms that are easily converted into items we would need already numerous offices for instance. So we see that there could be some cost-saving measures from our end to partner with the school district. Again, that is if you decide to go forward with that approach. U it has potential and the city council is interested in hearing more. >> Any questions? >> One in the back. >> Mr. place. >> I'm going to come
063up just >> um number one, you're talking about the integration of the seventh and eighth graders. I think I don't know the minds of high school kids these days. It's been a long time since I've been in high school. A real long time. But I would think a lot of them would probably help the younger kids get going in this if there's any problems or anything. That's just my opinion. And number two, uh what Alex was talking about there has been some discussion obviously and in my opinion I think financially it would be good for both of us that you know if we can work out something you know if you're going to give it to us and you know nobody else is smiling over there but the one thing that that kind of worries
064me you want to run a referendum for this remodeling >> so if we get involved We're going to have to remodel the middle school and that's going to take some money from the people of Little Falls also. That's the only thing I worry about is, you know, we're going to they may get hit with two shots. >> I don't know. Does that make sense? >> It does. And, you know, and and part of the problem, and we've discussed this a little bit, is we've been slapping band-aids on all of these buildings for a long, long time. >> Surely. >> Yeah. And, you know, we're just kind of at the point. I mean, I think in one of the discussions that came our last referendum that mechanical was probably, you know, probably a million and a
065half to $2 million. And I'm sure it's probably tripled or quadrupled by now, you know. So, I mean, you think about that. We can I mean, we can say no and we don't have to do these things, but at some point taking the police station, that thing might just tip over. >> I'm surprised it hasn't. Well, uh, you know, I understand, you know, in the long run, a coast costs more money to bandaid it than is to get it done right. I I understand that, but hitting them at the same time, >> I mean, that's and you know, I don't know the demographics of Little Falls, but I'm assuming a lot of it is people on social security and fixed incomes, you know, and if you That's one thing that worries me. if we can
066work something out, >> you know, I'd be I'm I'm all for the idea. Trust me. Trust me. I'm just saying I can see a problem. I >> I guess for us, Dave, what I and and again, I'm speaking for myself and and not for the other board members here, but you know, we are we are at the point where I mean our our student enrollment is is declining. We are doing what we have to do to save money for the voters and for the school district >> because we we are operating five buildings with half the enrollment we had when they all first opened. >> So, I mean, I think we're being as prudent as we can. And I would argue that same thing if the city took over the the middle school building, they're
067being as prudent as they can because >> yeah, they know we need a new police station. We need a new city hall. >> I just I find it hard. I understand that you know what not everybody is happy about their taxes going up. But the option the other the other side of it is is then nobody comes here because we have antiquated buildings and we have antiquated I mean nobody in the police station. We can't get people. We can't hire good police because they're in a room that's as big as this table. And you know and we have you know our school is great. It it has been maintained but it's an old building. you look in our walk into our house 72, >> it's old, you know, and they've done a great job maintaining
068it, but at some point >> we have to Yeah. No, I understand we have to do and I'm just >> Right. And we're just doing what we have to do for the district and and clearly you guys have to do what you have to do for the um for the city, but I think we're being responsible, >> okay? >> You know, constituents for our or leaders for our constituency based on this. Well, that's what we're trying to do with the city, too. You know, we know >> we can't go out and spend $15 million on a new uh police station and $15 million on a new city hall. You know, I just it's out of the reach. I'm just saying, you know, >> no doubt, >> you know, uh but I like I said, I
069think it's a great plan. I I like it uh very much. And again, u Alex knows me and she knows I'm cheap. So, uh I I I say financially it's good for both of us. >> That's what that's what I say. Okay. >> You know, so you know, >> it's a responsible option. >> Very responsible option. >> Mhm. >> So, any other questions? >> Thank you. Thank you for being here. >> All right. Next item we have is communications and community engagement updates. Miss Preszinski, >> hello. >> Good to have you here. If I could just quickly reference our strategic plan one more time. Yes. >> And the two goal areas under communications and community engagement. Uh goal one is to create partnerships with families, the community, business partners, and civic organizations to support and
070expand learning opportunities for each student. And goal two is to create and implement a plan to improve communications and transparency. And I I can say with great confidence, and I know many others in our district feel the same way, that Melissa has come in and really hit the ground running in addressing these goal areas. So, we're glad to have her here tonight and provide an update to you folks. >> Okay. Welcome. Thank you. >> Thanks. Thanks for that introduction. Um, do I need to do the PowerPoint or >> Oh, I'm sorry. >> Do you need the cord? >> Yes. All right. Well, to save some time, I think I can get started and then we'll pull a PowerPoint up. Um, so thank you guys for the opportunity to um be before you and speak. Um,
071so when I had stepped into this role, our goal was simple. build stronger connections with families, staff, students, and the broader community. Since June of 2025, we've focused on laying a solid foundation through grant writing, social media, newsletters, community partnerships, improved internal systems, and a comprehensive communications audit to guide the future. Everything connects back to our district strategic goals and our shared commitment to clarity, trust, and engagement. Um, one of the first pieces of information and projects I've really been working on was um, really just kind of like sitting back and watching very slightly during the non- busy times of the summer. Um, and it's helped kind of like guide where we want to go with our grants. Um, so with our grants, so far I have submitted six. Um we've been awarded two and
072we're still awaiting for approval for four of them. Um a key priority for us has been identifying and pursuing these targeted grants that align with our district goals. Um Greg and I did spend quite a bit of time creating um workflows that will support grants in the future. Um and that is to help that we're not we're being good stewards of the dollars that we're requesting. We're asking for what we can maintain and what is sustainable and and that you know we we're a good partner for those individuals and and organizations. Um so since June we have written one for the MDA farmtotable grant for local food sourcing. Um Minnesota Power Foundation for Classroom Cruisers. I don't know if you've seen those, but they're these little bikes that like stationary bikes that um house books.
073And so that the kids, it's used for kindergarten through like sixth grade. There's two different sizes. Um and we wrote a grant for five of them where they can sit and get their wiggles out while they're learning to read or reading. So um the Bernick Family Foundation for Motor Labs. Again, this is another um area for elementary kids to get their wiggles out. Do you want me to connect? >> Google won't open unless you can get yours to go. >> Help them out. >> That's why we have stuff here. >> Hey, Dave. Okay, I got it. >> Okay. >> Do you? >> But I have it on my desktop, so I don't have to worry about. All right, good. You guys have something to look at. There we go. Okay. All right. So, um our
074STEM ecosystem grant is about an $80,000 grant for a drone for drones, robotics, and um not virtual reality, but virtual equipment to help support um the flyer media productions and other resources. Um and then the MDE cyber security technology grant that is actually one we've been approved um currently $52,618 um where Scott is actually looking at the additional $7,000. We have up to $60,000 to be reimbursed for security. So these grants not only provide essential resources for our classrooms, but they'll also help tell our district story through concrete actions. All right. and modernizing how we connect. We have made significant progress in modernizing our communication strategies. By unifying our branding and templates and establishing a consistent schedule for weekly, monthly, and quarterly messages, both families and staff now have a clear understanding of when and
075where to find information. The flyer portal is a valuable resource for staff. We have streamlined internal workflows for grants, website requests, social media requests, branding guides, and we're really using that as um using the current tool to enhance information to our staff. Um and then additionally, we have enhanced visibility for district leadership through regular messaging, which boss which fosters trust over time. All right. So, expanding our digital reach. So as you can see um these are metrics from June 23rd to October 20th and then this is June 23rd to October 20th 2025. So, we have consistently brought up our numbers, which it doesn't really mean a like it means significant, but it's not a whole lot of information and it's not a whole um um yeah, sorry. Um we've had significant growth and we've gotten
076a lot of outreach and engagement and that's really the main, you know, point of that um in our social media aspect. So um our social media has emerged as one of our most powerful and impactful storytelling mediums and since June we have witnessed steady growth in both our follower count and engagement levels across our platforms. The flyer flash weekly video series has established itself as a reliable connection with families offering brief personal and timely content. Campaigns such as homecoming, student spotlights, and athletics coverage have fostered community pride while broadening our digital presence. It's not merely about posting updates. It's about actively shaping the narrative of our schools in real time. Um, a lot of the great reaches have been our new staff or current staff and we do outreach and it's been great and positive
077feedback I feel for our district. So >> if anybody's been on social media, you can see it's a it's a significant increase and and that was obviously with your position, but that was obviously something that um we realized that we were pretty poor at was our was our communication and our outreach. So it's um I think it's been a very obvious increase. So >> awesome. Awesome. I can't believe we got uh the superintendent to do the flyer flash videos. cuz I thought he was going to turn me down instantly. >> All right. So, keeping our community informed um with the um oh my goodness, the audit that was done this and the surveys that were done this last spring. You know, the big thing was the communication and getting things physically in somebody's hand. Um,
078and so we have started our flyer connection, which is an in-depth look at district life that we bring information to the homes of our community. Each piece is structured intentionally with leadership updates, school features, activities, and community highlights. The feedback has been positive, and I've been asked many times when the next one is coming out, which I'm just finalizing now, so should be in homes either the last week of October or the first week of November. Um, and for the future, what we're looking at is a monthly e newswsletter to help keep families and staff up to date on key events and celebrations districtwide. So, they're not going to just get that in-house, you know, every couple months piece of information. We'll have it we'll have an e- newswsletter that'll be posted on our website,
079be sent out to families, community members, you know, you name it. Um and then website updates will also be a priority as we want to create clear paths and limit clicks for families, community members, staff and students. All right. So building trust through the through connection is the essence of communication. Communication goes beyond merely transmitting information. It's fundamentally about being engaged and present. We have enhanced our relationships through active involvement in organizations such as the chamber and Mississippi connections as well as through our participation on the board of the Little Falls Education Foundation. By consistently showing up in these events, we are fostering two-way relationships that empower us to better serve families and cultivate trust throughout the community. So, and um Chamber of Commerce typically they have a meeting once a month and Mississippi connections
080we meet with them every week. So, and please feel free to jump in with questions at any time. >> So, all right. Improving access and clarity. Internally, we have enhanced clarity and accessibility for our staff, simplifying the process of submitting information, locating resources, and staying updated. Externally, the website is undergoing a thorough cleanup and update to enhance navigation and the quality of content. With standardized branding and messaging, the district now presents a more cohesive and professional image. While these behind-the-scenes systems may not be glamorous, they are essential for ensuring consistent and reliable communication. So, I'm very eager to see where this looks in six months from now. All right. So, going to the audit. Um about two months ago, we had reached out to Sourcewell and they have a partnership with CISO who completed this
081audit for us and um this audit um gave us a very comprehensive look at our communication strategies. So we looked at before I had started and then kind of like the month two months of starting and what we've already kind of put into place and um went with that information. Uh, we collaborated with the Morris Leatherman Company to thoroughly review our website. Oops, I meant that we used that survey for this um as information. We used our social media platforms and local paper reach. And here's what they had found is that we first identified the need for a written strategic communications plan. This plan will align with our district's strategic goals and be informed by your input and our stakeholders. Next, we need to find a financial communications plan. This will provide clear layered messaging
082to help you understand our budget and facilities needs, especially concerning the bond issue and the middle school closure. Um, I think this will be really beneficial um as like a transparency tool to help our um constituents understand like what does our budget mean and how to understand what the numbers mean and and moving forward and making it so that you know parents like me that really don't understand the school district um finances I heard they're very complicated in the state of Minnesota um just really understand what we need to know and and how to interpret. Um, we will also conduct a communications effectiveness assessment. This will help us measure how well our staff and families are informed and engage in decision-making processes. Additionally, we're developing a marketing strategy to target local family families considering enrollment
083options and retain those that are already here. And finally, we're rolling out a storytelling campaign across various platforms showcasing written, photo, and video stories that support our strategic goals and highlight daily excellence. Um, and the last thing that they said was leadership integration, and that would be utilizing myself in the leadership team for decision-m and resource support. And all of these efforts are guided by data from the CISO audit and our partnership with Sourcefell, strengthening our strategy and our focus. All right, so looking ahead, we have some exciting initiatives planned that will shape our communication efforts moving forward. First, we'll be developing a strategic communications plan. This will be our focus from November to December of 2025. It's crucial that this plan aligns with our district strategic goals and incorporates feedback from all stakeholders. Next,
084during the same time period, we'll also build and roll out a financial communications plan. This is key to supporting discussions around our facilities and bond issues. Clear and layered messaging is vital to ensure our community understands our financial needs. Next, in early 2026, we will aim to launch a district storytelling campaign. This initiative will span across multiple platforms sharing engaging stories that highlight our everyday excellence and support our strategic goals. It is awesome when people get awards and you know all of the great big stuff that we you know intentionally go to celebrate. But with our storytelling and with what has already happened in our districts like capturing those moments of that kindergartener learning to read for the first time or sounding out letters, you know those that's what we're here for. We're here to
085get our students from preschool to 12th grade and every single one of them has a story that we want to share. Um, so we'll also conduct communications effectiveness surveys. I would like to do two per year to really see, you know, what is everybody's feedback? What is what are they feeling about the district? How can we get information to them? This shouldn't cost anything. It will all be virtual. um input on the website. So, it'll be a a clear-cut data piece that we can measure consistently over time. And then lastly, we will continue to focus on targeted community partnerships, especially with major employers in the area. This initial initiative is crucial for strengthening trust and enhancement enhancing enrollment. These partnerships represent our commitment to building a stronger community together. All right. So, in less than
086four months, we've established the foundation for a more robust and strategic communications plan and grounded it in clarity, consistency, and community. I appreciate your support and I would like to welcome any questions. >> No, I would just firstly kind of what I said before. I think I think I've definitely noticed the increased presence online and and just some of the things with still having kids in the district. So, >> thanks for >> it's come leaps and bounds from where we were. >> Melissa, one of the key partnerships you're a part of is the education foundation. >> Yes. >> Could you give just a quick Flyerfest update? >> Oh, yeah. Absolutely. So, Flyerfest is happening on October 30th. Last year it was a fundraising event for the activities department and this year it is a partnership
087between activities and the education foundation. Um it is going to be the 30th from 6:30 to 900 p.m. Um just a really great social time and there'll be a couple of games for the entire group to play, but really from the education foundation, we're raising funds to increase those grant dollars that we're currently awarding to teachers. Um the max that they will offer is $1,500 right now, but as you know, $1,500 doesn't go as far as it used to. So, we would like to um one be able to offer more opportunities for those that apply for innovative grants, but then to also increase that to $2,000 to those that request it. >> Awesome. And that's at the bottom. >> That's at the bottom. >> Where can they go to get tickets? >> Sounds like a
088commercial here. You can go online on our website. It's right on our website. um if you scroll to the bottom, there's a little um blog post about it and you just click there and then it'll take you over to the the link. >> Okay. >> Going back to your quarterly newsletter. >> Yeah. >> Does that get sent to everyone in our school district if they have kids or not or is it just to the family that we have kids in the school district? >> Great question. No. So, it goes to every household in our school district. So, there's about I think it's 7700. Um, and then I also have a link or you can give me a call at the district office too. Um, if you are not living within those district lines and you
089want to get the newsletter, but um, the next step is to cross reference those families that are not physically living in the district, but to make sure that they get one. Well, I guess I'm thinking more of the uh PE folks that don't have kids in school. >> Uh and when they see our building projects and referendum and all this stuff coming up, >> it's nice to sing our praises so they know that >> we're moving forward and doing what we feel is right for the students with space and >> and uh and then achievement. >> Yeah. >> Uh we blow our own horn a little bit. >> We do a lot of great things. So, we should be, you know, praising those educators and the staff that we have. >> Yeah. >> Anything else
090for Melissa? >> All right. >> Thank you very much. >> Appreciate it. >> All right. Next, we will move on to the superintendent report. This Thursday, we have a sale of obsolete equipment taking place at Dr. tonight from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. That was posted in the Morrison County record this weekend and it's been out uh actually a part of a email to families. The gym is we were there Thursday moving items from Dr. Knight that are obsolete into the gym as well as obsolete equipment from other buildings in the district. That gym and adjacent hallway is full of materials. I thought a data point you might be interested in as we talk about um the financial impact of trying to keep our facilities up to date and just how challenging that can be. This
091information came out from the Minnesota Rural Education Association just this week. Maybe you saw it that election day is November 4th, less than two weeks from today. And there are 79 school districts in the state that are seeking voter support for either building bonds, capital project levies, and operating referendum increases. It totals over $1.6 billion in ass of community members throughout the state. Um 45 districts are seeking almost a billion dollars in building bonds and 621 million in capital levies. While 43 districts are requesting operating referendum increases, averaging $818 per pupil. That's the average projected increase. >> And I believe ours is at 200. >> Ours is 224. >> 224. >> Mhm. Um, obviously we wish all of those districts the best of luck knowing full well that some will pass and some will not,
092but it just highlights the growing funding needs that exist within our schools across the state. Kelsey was able to join a large contingency of folks and myself with the Lindberg playground ribbon cutting last week. That was a lot of fun. And then just another shout out to Chris Majeras. Chris is the head custodian at Lincoln Elementary and he received just two weeks ago the 2025 facilities award of excellence for the Massmith Northern Chapter Award in the state of Minnesota. Kudos to Chris. Awesome. >> And a shout out to Sharon who is mending after surgery today. Yeah. That's it. >> That's all I have. >> Okay. Thank you. All right. Next, we'll go to new business. Uh we have student information systems. Um I'm assuming Mr. Dio will give us a quick synopsis. Yeah. I'm going
093to just tag one thing onto his superintendent report before we start. So I I apparently went glutton for punishment because we finished one playground on Wednesday last week and started the other one today. So the playground for the early childhood space holes were being dug today and equipment started going up just one after another. Good. Get it before the snow flies. >> That's right. That's right. So uh Mr. chair and members of the board. Um, in 2022, the district um switched our student information system and our financial system from Skyward's SMS and SPS platforms to cumulative. And we did that at that time because we were being required by our risk insurance carriers to implement multiffactor authentication. And instead of trying to go out and and get a whole brand new system that maybe we
094weren't going to be familiar with the lingo and everything else. Um we just decided to move from one system within Skyward to another. Well, that that change has proven to be more and more problematic as we go and has created more and more headaches for our staff and um has really become a huge challenge. And so, um, we as a district took the step to go out and look at other student information systems. If you look across the state for a dis or if you look across the landscape for a district our size, there's really five um, student information systems that you can use. You can use the old Skyward system. You can use the new Skyward system. You can use a system from P school or a Pearson called P school. You can use
095this uh an application called Synergy or you can use an application called Infinite Campus. And so what we uh did is we um sent out and requested from um Infinite Campus Synergy and Power Powers School a request to show us some pricing, answer some questions for us, give us give us a um proposal and um only two of the three opted to do that and that was Synergy and Infinite Campus. And so we had both of those organizations in met with a group of about 20 district staff um from all different buildings and showed us their information, their student information system. And um it was nearly unanimous that the district should look to switch to Infinite Campus um for the 2627 school year. That uh transition is not an easy feat as you can imagine.
096That's there's a lot of data. there's thousands, you know, a couple thousand kids plus we go back and we house data for the past basically five years of of uh graduates. And so um there's terabytes of data that are out there um for our students. And so we have to um if we want to engage in a new student information system, we need to get in the process and get the process going now to make it as seamless as we can for everybody. So, we are recommending to you tonight to um accept a proposal from um Infinite Campus for us to switch to them for the start of the 26 27 school year. Year-over-year, Infinite Campus will actually cost us less than Skyward when you take into account all of the auxiliary systems and platforms
097that we have to purchase along with Skyward. So for example, we have to purchase u hosting services from iscore. We have to purchase the school messenger solution. We have to purchase uh um services from Vanco for doing an online store and all these other things. And there's about four or more I think total that we purchase. So when you take the cost of all of those along with Skyward and you compare that to Infinite Campus on an ongoing basis, the Infinite Campus is actually cheaper and we have all of those um utilities within there. Year one, you always have some migration costs, right? You have to do the conversion. There's some training costs that are associated, but we uh feel that that's It's worth it to us to spend that money. Our staff, uh, we
098had the I told you we had those presentations. I had three staff members that came up to me during the break of the presentation and said, could we switch tomorrow? And I said, no, we can't switch tomorrow. It's not feasible for us to do that, but we can switch for July 1. And so that's what we're asking you to do is we're asking you to approve a a change of student information systems from Skyward Cumulative to Infinite Campus for the 26 27 school year and I'll take any questions you have. Is there I mean again I know what you're talking about with migrating the the information. Is there I'm assuming there's support available and is there some I guess built in but like support that we don't have to pay for I guess in the
099initial >> transition. Yeah. So there's um you pay you you as part of the conversion fee you pay for the professional services to convert all of the data from the Skyward format into the Infinite Campus format, but you also pay for a a training um suite or for their trainers to work with our staff to help us get the system configured the way our people need it to be configured. um to work for Little Falls's needs and that's just you're going to face that no matter who you work with. It's just going to be part of the cost of converting. Now ongoing what we will have is much better support. Um Skyward uh Skyward support model is basically that um hey we're going to send you the link to a video. you watch that and
100then you'll know what to do, right? Where the infinite campus um support model is, hey, we're going to walk we're going to give you four people that can talk to us from the technical aspect and we're going to walk them through how how we fix this problem so that they can fix it for you and then they can share that back out. Um they also have an extensive training library. they have a monthly uh user group sessions where they focus on um different aspects that might be unique to a to a school. So like for example during January when you're starting to set up your registration for your secondary secondary schools for the next year that's when they start training on that and so it's very um timely and meaningful training. I hope I answered
101your question. No, >> that makes sense. Yep. Thank you. Other questions for Mark? >> Okay. Thank you, Mark. Looks like this is an action item. >> So, um I guess what I would be looking for is a motion to approve the student information system request to transfer from Skyward to Infinite Campus. So, moved. I have a motion by Dan. Do I have a second? I'll second. >> I have a second by Kelsey. Any further discussion? Questions. >> Hearing none. >> I had one from Mark. You only keep records for 5 years. So my permanent record now is gone. >> Your permanent record, Mr. Gerby, is still on file. It is in the Hall of Fame for the principal's office. >> Okay. We keep um when we do a conversion like this, we'll keep the records
102back for students that graduated up to five years ago. So, we'll keep all of those records. Um students that were in the system prior, their names are there, but not all of their records. Just the minimum of what we need to keep. But for reporting purposes and things like writing grants and and other reports for the state, we will keep up to five years back. Yeah. >> All right. >> Okay. Anything else from us? >> Did Did you want us to try to find that uh >> permanent record? >> That file of yours? >> Can review that next month. >> Save a lot of file space. Get rid of that. >> All right, we have a motion and a second. There's no further discussion. All in favor signify by saying I. I. >> Oppose. Same
103sign. >> All right, motion carries. Next, technology staffing plan. This also is an action item. Um, >> yes, per our discussion last week at the work session, we we looked at data relative to the staffing levels in our technology department. The past two years, we've been down two positions and it's significantly impacted our ability to be able to provide effect effective technology support and integration the last couple years. So asking tonight your approval of posting a network administrative position to help stabilize technology operations and support that area moving forward. Okay. So I would look for a motion for that. >> So moved. >> Have a motion by Kelsey. Do I have a second? >> Second by Mark. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. I oppose. Same sign. >> All
104right. Motion carries. Next. Looks like we have another resolution. Kelse. >> Whereas the Minnesota State High School League Foundation was formed to provide supports for Minnesota's high school youth to participate in athletics and fine arts. Whereas the governing board of the Little Falls Community High School recognizes the value of student participation in extracurricular activities. And whereas the Minnesota State High School League Foundation is offering grants and funding to assist schools in recognizing, promoting, and funding extracurricular participation by high school students in athletic and fine arts programs. Therefore, be it result that the governing board of Little Falls Community Schools, District 482, supports the school's application to the Minnesota State High School League Foundation for a grant to offset student activity fees. >> I will second your >> All right. So, um Dan, >> yes. >>
105Doug, >> yes. >> Julie, yes. >> Mark, yes. >> And myself, yes. >> Okay. Motion carries. Thank you. Um, next item is the approval of October 2025 lane changes. I believe those are just kind of built in. Correct. There's really nothing we can do about those or negotiated in. Um, so that is an action item as well. So I'd be looking for a motion to approve the October 2025 lane changes. So move a >> motion by Dan. Do I have a second? I'll second. >> I have a second by Mark. Any further discussion hearing? None. All in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Oppos. Same sign. >> All right. Motion carries. Next. Old or unfinished business, school district property. And this is just a discussion maybe to give an update on some of
106the properties we were looking at selling. >> Correct. So, Mr. Deal. I'm back. So, um let's start up north um with the Dr. Knight facility. So, there's been uh as you know, we have the facility listed with um with Edina Realy. It's out on the MLS. Um Tom Sherling and Travis Johnson are working on that one on our behalf and they um I get a text message from Travis every time somebody goes out to look at it. This was the first weekend that there wasn't somebody out there looking at it. Probably was a good thing because the place is just full of stuff right now. But um uh he's had a number of uh potential buyers through and um he said he has one that he thinks is really interested, but you know, until you
107see an offer, you don't you don't know for sure. Um we still have u a potential buyer who expressed interest in it before we listed it. Um, we have not received an offer from them yet, but all indications are that they are likely going to submit one is from what if I'm reading the emails correctly, which I think I am. Um, so that's where we stand with that. Uh if we go to the west side of town, we've got uh the 40 acres for sale just north of the zoo and those are still for sale. Again, being listed by Travis and uh Tom and hopefully hopefully we'll see some action on that uh in the near future. Remains to be seen. So then we have uh let's go south of the high school to the
108kind of 3 acre almost 3acre parcel that we have there on the south side of the high school where we're talking about uh Habitat partnership. Um there is some there's some property to the south of where Habitat would like to build. There's a little over an acre, I think it is, um, down there that, um, we we need to work with, um, a couple of the property owners to see if they're willing to uh, purchase the land. We can't trap the land. It's got to be connected to somebody's property. So, there's a really small amount of people that there's really only three parties that could buy it. And so we need to work with those parties to see um who wants to who wants to purchase that. I think we've come to an agreement and
109we've come to a plan on as to how that would get platted out. And so our next step is actually to take that to the city and say for their planning and zoning committee to go to to approve approve the plat or preapprove the plat um at their the concept of it and then if they give us their blessing then we can go through the process of getting all the legal descriptions done for each of those parcels um to be purchased. So, if you keep swinging around um to the east of the high school, um it's not a property that we own there, but the old BusyB for um property is owned by the Contegrity Group, and they are interested in doing a land swap with us for some property that we own out near
110the fairgrounds. Um you you as a board had asked me to investigate whether or not um there was any revenue coming in from the uh communications towers that are out there. and we uh Travis Fickman from Contegrity and I were able to review some of the the lease documents and the original documents from when the land was transferred over to the district from the fair board. And um all it refers to is an easement. So there is no financial money coming into the district at all for um that tower that sits there. There's just an easement on the property that gives them access to have that tower there. Um I feel like I'm missing one. Oh yes, yes, yes. The one to the just to the west of of um the district office building. So,
111that is that unbuildable property and one of the neighbors would like to gain access to that property and so we're working with them to try to uh make that happen for them so that they can obtain that and uh and use it for their own personal purposes that they have. So, I think I got them all. >> Any questions for Mark? Isn't there one south of town >> by the old Snow Dogs Racetrack that I think we leased it out for years to a farmer. >> Boy, that's a You're talking about Snow Dogs Racetrack. That's That's like old school, isn't that Gerby? >> I am old school. So, I was talking about permanent record goes back I don't know 60 years. >> Um, we do have a property south of town. It's a 40 acres
112of egg land that is a test plot for our FFA. >> Okay. >> The girls probably know more about it than we do. They probably >> I know. We used to rent it out years ago. >> It was just harvested. Actually, we had a record year 1581. >> Wow. >> Was it corn? >> Yep. >> You ever thought of doing a corn maze out there? Good idea. >> Get some more income and then you still got your crop to sell. >> We thought about sweet corn, but they all said that was too much work. So, >> who's they? Don't listen to they. >> Yeah, right. >> Just an idea. >> Anything else for Mark? >> Good idea. >> Okay. Thank you, sir. >> All right. Reports from morg members. Mr. Schilling, care to start? Sure.
113I had a chance to meet with Mr. Edim earlier this week or this last week Monday. Uh and unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the ribbon cutting but said so far this year everything has really taken off smoothly as far as um integrating the Randall kids in. No no no real hookups there. The teachers were all phenomenal that have been relocated. Um, the kids were definitely excited for using the equipment on the playground for the first time on Wednesday. So, that's all I got. >> Okay, good. Thank you, Mr. Gerby. Nothing to report. Okay, Julie. >> Nothing. >> I have a few things. Okay. >> I met with Giana um over at the preschool. She I I shared with you guys that 90% of the students or um the seats are all full at preschool.
114I did share that with you guys um last week. But the the VPK program that we it was a grant that we applied for a couple years ago um that provides um grant money for students to get basically free preschool. 90% of our students are either getting some sort of grant or that VPK. Um, and it's free to 90% of our families. So, that is a great highlight for that that program and the work that Janna's doing over there. >> I hope I said that right. You did. Watch me tomorrow. >> Um, and then I also was able to meet with Mr. Dobas over at Lincoln. He is diving deep into data analysis right now. So, he is working on looking at student achievement. Um, they did a review of the um the lunchroom has
115proven to be very noisy. Um, and it's the way he uh described it is that the kids are really just talking at a normal level, but the room is so loud. So, he had um a professional in sounds and acoustics come in and look at the space, and it looks like they're going to be making some changes to um the lunchroom to make it >> Less noisy. Yeah. But other otherwise, everything's going well. um they had their first end of the month celebration and that really highlights we talked about a letter that we received um last week um from one of the the grandparents but really speaks to the culture >> um that they have there at Lincoln. So if you guys can do a one of those month end celebrations they are really awesome.
116>> Um and then I'm just going to talk about that uh ribbon cutting those kids. I'm going to tell you, Mark, that that was like torture to have the kids start school and not be able to go to that playground until that ribbon cutting. So, that was really tough for them, but it was so cute. We we went up all the way to the top of that big tower, if you guys have seen it yet. Um, and Greg and I took a picture and they wanted they wanted us to go down the slide, so they sat there chanting, "Use the slide." And Greg did not go down the slide and they're all like it was super cute. But >> you did though. >> No dirty. Like it was really dirty. >> They had just put
117a bunch of mulch on. So like all the dust and film were all over the slides in the morning. So no, we didn't. But climbing up that thing is quite a feat when you are as old as we are. But um it was great that Melissa could be there as well and capture all those moments. But the kids were ecstatic and um that playground is is going to be great for years to come and I'm super excited for um the little flyers and the be able to use a new playground as well. That's great for those little kids as well. >> Mhm. Awesome. >> That's what I have. >> Awesome. Thank you. >> Um I just the only thing I have is just fall sports which g you know are kind of winded down and
118so winter will be upon us. There's some some are teams in playoffs. Um, yeah. Well, otherwise I think all reports I hear from the high school are things are going pretty well. So, all right. Any other business to be come before the board? Hearing none, I would ask for a motion to adjurnn. >> So moved. >> I mark a second. Second, a second by Dan. All in favor? I. Okay. >> Thank you, everybody. Thanks, guys. Can you go